Argumentative

Jessica Smith

General Purpose: To argue
Specific Purpose: To argue that PGD should be widely accepted as a positive aspect
in multiple areas
Central Idea: Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis is a positive scientific
advancement for the reasons of (1) giving those who are not able to have their own
children an easier opportunity to receive, (2) curing disease along with changing
physical features, and (3) it is similar to any physical changing we do on the surface.

Introduction
I. Have you ever wanted to change something about yourself?
A. By using hair dye; colored contacts; etc.?
B. By curing an illness of some sort?
II. Explain what PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) is
A. Taking sperm and egg and combining them outside the body just
like fertility. They then can see any possible physical traits and also
possible diseases.
B. They then remove the unwanted cells (i.e. green eye, genetic diseases)
and inject the fetus back into the mothers body to grow as it normally
would.
III. Personally, Im all for this procedure. To me it seems as though it can only
do more good to a human life that it can bad.
IV. Three points that prove my opinion are:
a. Gives more fertility options
b. Cures diseases
c. It is similar to many other procedures today
Transition: This topic brings much controversy, but to those who are not able to
bare their own children, PGD opens doors.

Body
I. PGD benefits gay or sterile parents.
A. Gay Surrogacy
1. Very controversial, but think of it as two parents who desperately
want a child.
2. First, they must find a donor to donate the sperm or egg. PGD is
used so that they and make their child have similar traits as them.
Can choose what donor looks like through magazines and the
internet, but PGD narrows it down more.
B. Sterile Women/Couple Fertility
1. In Vitro Fertility is a branch of PGD involves removing egg
and sperm, combining them in a lab, and inserting the mixture
back into the mother.
2. Just as in Gay Surrogacy, egg/sperm donors are available. 10%
of parents in fertility do this.
(americanpregnancy.org/infertility/ivf.html)
3. (advancedfertility.com) Who might benefit from PGD?
a. Parents who have had IVF when 38+
b. Failed IVF
c. Multiple Miscarriages
d. Parents with chromosomal translocations
e. Parents with genetic diseases
Transition: Which leads to next advantage of PGD.

II. Removing Diseases
A. Many only associate PGD with trait changing, but removing disease is
an aspect that is 100% positive.
1. An estimate of 8 million children each year are born with a
serious genetic disease. (i.e. down syndrome, heart disorders,
disformed backbones and brains)
2. More than 3 million children of these die before they are 5
years old. (m.learningenglish.voanews.com)
3. PGD can reduce these numbers
B. As the video on fertility-docs.com says, 70% of women dont need
fertility, they use PGD for the purpose of removing disease
Transition: Are those 70% playing God?

III. Playing God
Deductive reasoning: God, ultimately, designs babies parents are now
designing their own therefore, the parents are playing God.
A. The main concern with playing God narrows down to gene
enhancement. This bothers people because they are changing what
God intended.
1. (Quote from Babies by Design)
B. People are constantly changing their hair color, buying colored
contacts, etc. Why is it not acceptable to change these at the genetic
level?
C. Many complain we are changing Gods fate, but those same people
agree with curing diseases genetically.
1. What if God intened to have a child conflicted with disease?

Conclusion
I. To recap, I have discussed 3 points to persuade you to think of PGD as
positive.
a. Helping sterile parents
b. Curing disease
c. It being okay to genetically alter physical features
II. Preimplatation Genetic Diagnosis is a positive scientific advancement that
could be taken as controversial, but it ultimate a good thing.


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